Old Crown, Hesket Newmarket - Spring Pub of the Season
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Old Crown, Hesket Newmarket - Spring Pub of the Season Ale Trail - Pub Visits Pubs Matter - List Your Local Brewer on the Hop Bar Fly - Pub News Carlisle Beer Festival What’s Brewing - Brewery News Solway Branch of CAMRA Issue 15 The1 Campaign for Real Ale Spring 2016 Shaun and Jo welcome Herdwick Inn you. Real Ales Penruddock Winter food opening hours: Penrith Monday & Tuesday lunch closed, Monday & Tuesday CA11 0QU night 5-9, Wednesday to 01768 483007 Sunday 12-2.30 and 5-9. www.herdwickinn.com Dog friendly. Pool room. Log fire. New menu, daily specials. Four B&B rooms from £45 per night during winter. Children welcome, board games to play. The Fetherston Arms Kirkoswald 4 hand pulled real ales and hand pulled cider Great home cooked food Open Mon-Fri 4pm-midnight, Sat-Sun 12 noon-midnight. Lunch served Sat-Sun 12-3.30 and evening meals Tue–Sun 5–9. 20 minute walk from Lazonby train station We look forward to welcoming you The Square, Kirkoswald, CA10 1DQ 01768 898284 2 Spring Pub of the Season Old Crown, Hesket Newmarket the Plunkett Foundation. For real ale enthusiasts, the Old Crown became Recent CAMRA research confirms what a place to visit back in 1988 when the then shareholders in the Old Crown already knew, owners Jim and Liz Fearnley started selling our pub is the centre of village life and remains beer brewed by Jim in a barn at the back of the vital to the community; its unique ownership pub. structure has enabled it to survive and thrive. Twenty-eight years later, you can still often meet Pubs strengthen a community by being a forum workers from what is now Hesket Newmarket for discussing local issues, creating friendships Brewery, as well as locals and visitors. and establishing connections. The shareholders The Old Crown is still very much “the brewery of The Old Crown co-operative see themselves tap” and showcases up to six Hesket as helping to maintain the pub, while tenants are Newmarket ales at any one time. All the beers encouraged to act as custodians whose task is have been brewed in the barn behind the pub. It to nurture our prize possession and take it remains a thriving business that is literally at the forward in a spirit of co-operation, sensitivity and heart of the community. dialogue. Many visitors to the Old Crown are fascinated by As a founder member of both co-operatives, my the quirkiness of the place. Some visit especially one key recollection of buying the brewery was to see first-hand what a community owned pub to keep its beers in the pub and in the is like and to see if they might be able to do community, continue to support it, spread the something similar in their own local. risk of purchase, take pride in its products and have fun. The history of the two co-operative ventures is well known. The brewery was bought in 1999 by I used similar criteria when the pub co-operative villagers and beer lovers from further afield by was formed and in both cases the models have setting up a co-operative to own shares in the worked and shareholders remain involved and business and keep it going. passionate about what they have achieved. In a similar initiative to the brewery, a separate Both co-operatives have a waiting list for organization was formed and what is believed to shareholders; anyone interested in joining can be the first officially registered co-operative pub, obtain contact details off the websites which opened in the UK in 2003, when 125 customers also include details of opening hours, menus, banded together to buy the only pub in the beers, brewery tours, etc. village. www.theoldcrownpub.com The business model is simple: the Old Crown www.hesketbrewery.co.uk property is owned by the shareholders and the pub co-operative obtains its income from rent Solway branch members have selected the Old paid by the tenants who run the pub. Crown (a former branch pub of the year) as our pub of the season for spring 2016. The award The pub and brewery are strongly championed will be presented on Saturday, 21 May 2016 at a by Prince Charles, who has visited twice in dinner to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the connection with ‘the Pub is the Hub’ campaign branch. supporting rural community pubs. Robin Murray The success of the co-operative approach at The Old Crown has been widely used as a model for similar enterprises across the country, helped in recent years by organisations such as 3 Spring 2016 Pub of the Year Two Times is a Charm camping ground, thirsty Hadrian’s Wall tourists or simply those enticed by the pubs rave for the Drovers Rest reviews and collection of awards! The Solway Branch of CAMRA is delighted to The pub’s open fire and traditional decor is offer their congratulations to the Drovers Rest enough to welcome any weary walker, tourist or who have held their title of Pub of the Year for hard-days-grafter. Landlord Sandy couldn’t the second year running! agree more! “The community that come in, Located in the they’re great!” sleepy village Since Bill, of Monkhill, Linda, Sarah the Drovers and Sandy Rest is the took the reins, pillar of a rural the Drovers community Rest truly has spread across three villages, and the residents’ become a closest thing to a shop outside of Carlisle. pillar of its I caught up with pub owner Sandy to rural community. Once a week the pub swaps congratulate him on another year of success. beer taps for coffee and tea ON tap and plays Ever-modest he said “it’s been a long year, so host to the Parish Council’s weekly library and it’s good to know we’re still doing well.” regularly morphs into a makeshift shop to provide those in need with what they need. Sandy, Bill, Linda, Sarah and, of course, Mac the Collie are the family responsible for Community is of high importance to Sandy who transforming the Drovers Rest from mediocre says, “There are three villages and we’re the local to multi award-winning pillar of the only, well only anything really! There’s no other community in less than three years! shops there’s nothing else apart from the pub.” So what’s the secret to the pub’s success? Previously, the Drovers Rest had been Quite simply “Just trying to be as nice a pub to unreliable to say the least and the close-knit come into as possible” and of course “lots of community have endured a rough time with hard work”. Could be something to do with the landlords and managers and everything so I range of beer too! There are six hand pulls think its good for them that they’ve at least got a which have served 357 different beers since pub that they know when’s open! reopening in 2013, and one real cider is always The Drovers Rest continues to go from strength available. to strength having been selected as Super The Drovers Rest, whose innovative food menu Regional Pub of the Year and this week the is on par with its ever-changing selection of ales team will discover if they can add National Pub on tap, has even earned a Certificate of of the Year to their list of accolades. It’s been a Excellence on Trip Advisor with one user nail-biting 3 month wait, Sandy can still scarcely describing it as “a wonderfully traditional pub” believe it – “I’ve been on tenterhooks for so long and another describing Sandy and his family as I’m just wishing they would get it over with!” “lovely.” What does the future hold for The Drovers No two days are the same inside the Drovers Rest? Naturally, their second annual beer Rest who, as well as their loyal army of regulars, festival happens in May – put that in your diary... frequently welcome customers from far and Ellie Jones wide – be they holidaymakers from the local 4 Mitchell & Staff Welcome all Old & New Customers The Blacksmiths Arms offers all the hospitality New Chef New Menu and comforts of a traditional Country Inn. Easter Opening Times Two Real Ales available Enjoy tasty meals served in our bar Mon 5pm - close; Tue-Thu 12pm - lounges or linger over dinner in our well close; Fri 12pm-2pm, 5pm-close Range of beers and Sat-Sun 12pm - close wines and spirits appointed restaurant. Food Serving Times Pool • Darts • Poker Two regular real ales (Yates Bitter & Black Sheep) Mon 5pm - close Curry Night; and two guest ales. Tue - Fri 12pm - 2pm, 5pm - 9pm; Games Machines Sat 12pm - 9pm; Sun 12pm - 8pm Jukebox • Open Fire Open daily 12-3, 6-11. Booking required at Weekends Sky Sports • BT Sports Takeaways available The Jackson family extend their warm hospitality Great to all who frequent the Blacksmith’s Arms. Talkin, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 1LE Atmosphere 016977 3452 / 4211 [email protected] Great Local www.blacksmithstalkin.co.uk 5 Ale Trail Our spring Ale Trail takes us to some excellent real ale pubs just to the south west of Carlisle. 1. Ship Inn, Thursby Telephone 01228 710600 The commuter village of Thursby lies close to the junction of the A595 and A596, six miles south west of Carlisle. The village name derives served in the bar and a separate restaurant. The from Norse and means a settlement named emphasis for food (and real ale) is very much on after the Thor, the storm weather god of Norse local produce.